Reparation
by UlixesEmotion
Summary: For once in his life Tony could not bring himself to be mad at the kid. After all, the pain the spiderling was in now was meant for him...And the kid's heart was just too good for this world.


_Peter's eyes opened slowly, scanning the place as he tried to regain his bearings._

 _He was in a kind of medical bay, he supposed. It was somehow bright and yet dull at the same time, and there was someone he couldn't yet make out coming up next to-_

 _The teenager gasped out loud as pain suddenly exploded in his chest, as though his brain were registering it all for the very first time. Which, in all honesty, it very well could have been. He squeezed his eyes shut and mentally begged for it to stop. Thankfully, it seemed to dull as quick as it came._

 _He forced his eyes open again to look around more frantically as panic set in._

 _Tony was there, so it wasn't the absolute worst place to be. Unless of course he was in trouble-Heh...No. Focusing on breathing again, the teenager couldn't even seem to make himself laugh as the billionaire looked over him sadly._

 _"Kid..." his voice had started very stern. As though he were ready to scold the younger hero for something before he seemed to think better of it, crumbling as he went another route altogether, "Ah...I'm...I'm so sorry. It was all I could do.." he mumbled a bit, pinching the bridge of his nose as Peter looked at him curiously._

 _Then a thought seemed to bubble up to Tony that perhaps Peter didn't know, or didn't remember how he got there in the first place._

 _He placed a hand on Peter's forehead, though more to keep his focus away from himself right now, "Do you remember anything from the fight?"_

 _He pondered it a moment. Then recalled that, yes, there was a fight...Tony told him he needed to get to safety...But he supposed he didn't listen?...No, he didn't. Because he saw that the bad guy was pulling out a new weapon and aimed it at the older man while he was distracted, leaving Peter with a choice that he felt there was only one answer to._

 _Now he was here and everything hurt still and something was really uncomfortable and-_

 _He finally looked down at himself._

* * *

In the car, the two sat in complete silence from one another. Not that they were angry, but both were either too stunned or hurt to bring out a word.

Tony could only watch as the _kid_ just kept playing with his hands in his lap, seeming to want to say something but being currently unable to bring the words out of his mouth. Instead opting to watch out the window as New York continued to pass by.

He prayed that the spiderling could find some form of comfort when they'd gotten home. Maybe legos? The kid liked legos. He'd already given May the head's up and she's taken to getting quite a few things ready...After quite a roller coaster of a phone call.

Stark, however, did not like to linger on the thought of it. Nor could he stare at Peter himself right now..Which he'd admit made him feel rather dirty considering the events that happened beforehand. He sighed, remembering how Peter looked down at himself, then promptly freaking out when he saw just what had happened to him.

 _"I'm so sorry, kid. There was nothing else I could think to do..I swear, I'm gonna make it up to you. Somehow. I don't know just at the moment, but I'll find a way."_

A promise that in itself seemed simple, and yet the context of it was so painful that he wasn't exactly certain how to follow through with it.

"We're here!"

Happy finally broke the silence as he got up out of the car, walking around and helping Peter out of his side. Offering to grab one of his bags, though the stubborn teenager insisted that he could still carry them himself.

Then Peter gave a big smile that would've fooled anyone who wasn't just in the car, watching the kid sit there on the verge of tears, "Thanks for the ride home, Happy!" he told him in a voice that was too high, cracking. _Breaking._

Tony wasn't prepared to look at the kid as he turned, offering him the same fake smile, "Thanks, Mr. Stark!"

"Sure thing, kid."

His reply was flat as he offered a small wave to the younger hero. Trying not to fall into a panic attack at the sheer horror.

Trying not to stare at the light, familiar glow coming from below Peter's shirt.


End file.
